Lobbydog...

Friday, 8 January 2010

I’m trying to work out which constituency party members Geoff Hoon had the “conversations” with, which prompted him to launch his coup.

In Central Lobby the other day Hoon was adamant he’d not spoken to potential leadership candidates or other rebels, and claimed it was chatting to people in Ashfield that led to his decision.

He and hacks had this rather bizarre exchange:

“So you haven’t talked to Charles Clarke about it then?”“No,” said Hoon.“And you haven’t talked to David Miliband about it?”“No”“Have you talked to anyone in the Government about it?”“No”“Have you talked to anyone who recently left the Government?”“Well – I recently left the Government.”“Are you saying you talked to yourself about it?”“No.”

First they said they would implement Sir Christopher Kelly’s recommendations. Then they said they would pass them to Sir Ian Kennedy to implement. Now Sir Ian is passing them to, er, us.

Earlier I toddled over to pick up a copy of Sir Ian Kennedy’s expenses public consultation document.

Sir Ian is asking “the people” about which of Sir Christopher Kelly’s recommended changes to the MPs’ expenses system should be brought in.

First of all let me say this – if ever there was a pointless layer of faff, this consultation is it. Can somebody not just make a decision?

Secondly Sir Ian is actually asking people to comment on his own version of Kelly’s proposals – some of which he has watered down.

These include allowing MPs in the home-counties to claim travel expenses – under Kelly’s plan they would have been excluded.

Furthermore, Kennedy says Parliament should decide whether MPs have to repay capital gains arising from taxpayer-funded homes (i.e. let’s allow the Turkeys to vote for Christmas). Kelly said the decision should be made by a regulator.

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Although he won’t confirm it, a lot of people reckon Geoff Hoon has decided to stand down at the next election.

I’ve had that as a strong tip from someone in Labour before today’s shenanigans. As we know Hewitt is already standing down.

That suggests neither have anything to gain politically from challenging Brown now – which is odd.

Until one realises that they also have nothing to lose – which would make them a good front for a wider plot.

Most MPs have said there is no such plot, but some who could be considered to be “waverers” on Brown’s leadership claim to have had conversations with others in which they say their support was elicited.

Certainly there are those who might even welcome a contest.

Nick Palmer MP told LD today: “If there was a clear and attractive alternative then I would make a decision at that time.

“There are certainly people capable of doing it – whether they want it is another question. If James Purnell says he wants to do it. Then I would look at him.”

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

I knew David Taylor, who died after a heart attack on Boxing Day - he was among the good ones.

MPs paid tribute to him in the Commons earlier - the first sitting of the House since his death.

"We often joined David for dinner in the dining room where not least I was a recipient of his robust advice on what we’d got right, which was usually a brief part of the conversation, and what we needed to do better, which was quite a lengthy part of the conversation."

I return today to find Parliament beginning 2010 tackling the hefty matters of state head on.

Events taking place in these very buildings will leave the British public debating the finer points of fiscal responsibility, immigration control, Shilpa Shetty’s wedding and… wait a minute.

I’m afraid it’s true – not two days into the parliamentary session Keith Vaz MP is squeezing the dignity out of the mother of Parliaments by hosting a wedding celebration for the Bollywood actress here, whom he describes as a “close friend”.

Vaz will probably also find something to talk about with Shetty’s new husband the millionaire businessman Raj Kundra.